This month: a lookback at past retreats, taking action against white supremacy, and a warm welcome to new staff

Video: Our 10th Creative Change Retreat

We’re back at Sundance this week for the 10th Creative Change Retreat! For more than a decade, this gathering at the intersection of arts, popular culture, and social justice has provided fertile ground for transformational collaborations. Creative Change wouldn’t be what it is without the people who made cultural strategies and art an essential component to the work of activism.

Watch the lookback video and celebrate with us the relationships formed and the field-changing ideas sparked during our time together at Sundance, and beyond. To all of the artists, activists, cultural strategists, and funders who have brought your unique creativity and strategic minds to #CreativeChange, we say thank you.

This year's retreat wouldn't be possible without the work of Sughey Ramirez, Cultural Network Strategist at The Opportunity Agenda. And we extend special thanks and gratitude to Betsy Theobald Richards, whose vision helped bring the retreat to Sundance from 2011 to 2022 and whose brilliance and knowledge has nurtured both The Opportunity Agenda and the field’s understanding of how best to center cultural strategies and artists in the work of narrative change.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and Facebook to see highlights from this year’s 10th Creative Change Retreat.

Take a Stand Against White Supremacy

To win liberation, white people need to do the work: educate ourselves, call-in friends and family, and create relationships of accountability to people harmed by systemic racism. In her latest piece for Forbes, Deputy Communications Director of Black Voters Matter and 2021 Communications Institute fellow Venkayla Haynes details what this moment requires of us. From the Buffalo massacre to attacks on inclusive education and voting rights, "we won’t see any meaningful change until those who benefit directly from white supremacy take a stand for the liberation of others.”

Headshots of Istou Diallo, David Kwang, and Haydee Villanueva in circular frames set against and black backdrop

New Staff at TOA: Istou, David, and Haydee

We’re excited to introduce and welcome Istou Diallo, David Kwang, and Haydee Villanueva to our team. A former Fulbright fellow, Istou brings extensive international human rights experience to help advance our programmatic goals. David is a seasoned accounting professional who can be found volunteering support to Asian-American teenagers or enjoying an indie band concert in his free time. And Haydee—a born-and-raised New Yorker— adds a proven track record of nonprofit administration experience to support both operations and human resources, setting our staff up for success.

Meet the Team

Megaphone blasts sound with August written on a black background.

Now Live: August 2022 Editorial Calendar

Our Editorial Calendar is now live. From the arrival of the first ships carrying enslaved Africans to the birth of James Baldwin, August is a big month for talking about racial justice, with hooks to uplift voting rights, policing reform, and economic opportunity. Visit the calendar for messaging tips to talk about these and other key dates in immigrant and indigenous rights and pop culture.